Packing or shipping box.



EfC. POTTER.

PACKING OR SHIPPING BOX. ARPLIQATION mfp ocr. 4. 1.9113..

Patented July 13, 1915.

Patented July 13,1915.

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UNITE STATES` PATENT OFFICE.

EARL c. POTTER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIoNoR To THE sEEToN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OE ANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION or INDIANA.

PACKING OR SHIPPING BOX.

Specification of letters Iatent.

Application led October 4, 1913. Serial No. 793,369.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, EARL C. POTTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at' Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented -certain new and useful Improvements in Packing or Shipping Boxes, of which the following is a specificati/on. y

Myv invention relates to packing or shipping boxes of the collapsible or knock-down type and made of suitable material preferabl'y double-faced corrugated paper boa-rd,

boxes, even boxes made of corrugated paper board, is ythat they may be opened and pilfered from and then closed and sealed insuch a manner as to cover up all appearances of the unlawful opening. In constructing my present box vI have overcome this objection by constructing the box in such manner that after it is closed and locked it cannot be opened without destruction of the box itself or without damage or injury thereto .in such manner as to plainly indicate that it had been tampered with.

In the drawings Figure l is a Aplan view of a blank from which the body of a box embodying my invention is made; Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of the box assembled, closed and locked; Fig. 3 'a cross section ou the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 with the exception that the two pairs of fla-ps are shown slightly opened and also excepting that the locking closure is omitted, this view being on a somewhat'reduced s ,cale as compared with Fig.

2 Fig. 4 a detail view of the locking closure on the same `scale as Fig. 2; Fig. 5 a detail view of a portion of the box; Fig. 6 a plan view of a blank from which a modified form of box is made; Fig. 7 a plan view of the modified form of box with one top or end set of iaps open; Fig. 8 a perspective of the box complete except for the locking closure; Fig. 9 a detail view of said closure, and Fig. l0 an elevation partly in section illustrating another modified form of construction which is not specifically claimed herein, but made the subject matter of a separate application.

My invention ay beA embodied in `boxes of different tions rudtions and in the present instancefI- ha Ye shown three different embodiinents thereof, the irst illustrated in Patented July 13,1915.

Figs. l to 5, the second in Figs to 9 and the third in Fig. 10.

Referring to the embo .nt of myv invention as shown in Figs. 1 to o, the blank from which the body of. the box and-some of the closures are made is illustrated in Fig. l, it being understood that the box may be of any desired dimensions and of any suitable material, in the present instance such ma` terial being double faced corrugated paper board which is preferred. The box herein shown is a rectangular one with four side walls and with the top and bottom openable, whereas in Figs. 6 to 9 the top andbottom are entire and the two smaller side walls which might be termed ends are the openable ones. The terms top and bottom and ends are relative or comparative but for oonvenience in describing and claiming the invention the four entire walls will be referred to as side walls and the openable top and bottom or ends will be referred to as ends, although in the form now being described such ends are more specifically top and bottom.

As shown in Fig. 1 the blank comprises two pairs of side walls l, 1 and 2, 2 hinged together along score lines, the oppositelongitudinal edges of each wall l having similar flaps la, which when folded over toward each other are together of the same area as a side wall l and when thus brought together at their free edges constitute a closure. The other side walls 2 each have on their opposite edges hinged flaps 2a which, however, are shorter than the flaps 1a and are adapted to be inturned into the interior of the box 4when lassembled and to lrest against thev inner side of their walls 2. These short fiaps 2a. are separated at their ends from the flaps la by somewhat wide slots or kerfs 3. In practice and by preference the short flaps are of the same width as their vside walls to 'which they are hinged but the flaps la are made slightly shorter than their walls l by having the kerfs Aor saw-cuts 3 entirely in the iaps la. There is thus provided. opposite ends of the box slots 4 clearly shown in the detail in Fig. 5 through which the aps of the locking closure hereinafter described are inserted.

In assembling the box the blank of Fig. 1.` Jils folded along the score lines between the' y, side walls and/the outermost walls l and 2 Ict after beingl brought together are held insuitable manner as by means of the tape or strip 5. The top of the b x is thus formed and one end ofthe box which is here really sure consisting of a closure or strip 6 of the i same area as the combined area of the two flaps la or the same area as that of a side wall 1. As shown in Fig. 4 this locking elosure has at its opposite ends along flap 6 and at the lower end of each. of such flaps a shorter and reversely folded flap or extension Gb. The flaps 5a and 6' are insertible lthrough the slots which are formed at 'the ends of the box and after this locking closure hasA been forced downwardly to the proper extent the extensions or flaps Gb will 'engage the flaps 2a, the free edges or the flaps 6b and 2a abutting each other, with the result that the locking closure becomes locked and this end or bottom of the box becomes sealed. It will be understood that there is suiiicient resiliency in the extensions 6b as to cause them to press outwardly against the inner wall and to engage under the freeedges of the flaps 2 just as soon as inwardly into the body of the box. .35 completed and locked and the box is now the locking closure has been forced. enough The box now has its bottom or one end closure ready to contain the goods. After the box has been'paclred the other end which in the present case -is really the top of the box is closed, locked and sealed in the same manner as the bottom was formed, thatA is to say the other two flaps '2a are folded inwardly and 'pressed against their side walls and the other two closure i'iaps la are folded inwardly, then another locking closure 6 is applied, its flaps being inserted through the slots i formed at the ends of the box after the flaps 1a have been folded over and the extension 6b will thereupon engage their adjacent short flaps 2a. The box is thus locked and sealed as an incident to the closing thereof and it is locked against any possibility of opening or tampering without practically destroying the box. corners of the box around the adjacent ends, that is the top and bottom in the present instance, may have tape or strips of adhesive paper applied thereto but this is not essential.

If desired a liner consisting of fourA sidey box body.

lf desired the intente modified in respect to the formation rof the The box body is formed from the blanlrshown in F ig. 6, there being two similar side walls 9, another side wall 10 and two similar half walls l1 whichwhen brought together and held by the tape or adhesive strips i2 form a wall similar to wall l0. The walls 9 are provided at opposite ends with hinged closure flaps 9a whi'h are slightly less in length than the edges of their walls to which they are hinged,

due to the lrerfs i3 which run through the `tlaps themselves. The walls l0 and 11 are also provided with similar flaps lO and 11a.

lin assembling the box the side walls are folded along the score lines between them, and the two walls'llare brought together and joined by a tape l2 to form a single wall. ln forming one end of the box the flaps 10EL and l1 are folded inwardly against the inner faces of their side walls 4after which the two opposite or remaining flapsl 9 are folded over so that when brought edge to edge they will form an end closure, as seen in Fig. 7. locking closure such as shown in llig. 9 is now applied, the same comprising a closure proper marked le, long liaps l5 at the ends thereof and short ex-l tensions or flaps 16. These latter flaps are inserted through the slots 13 formedat the two opposite sides of the box by the kerfs 13 and asthe extensions or short flaps 16 are reversely or outwardly bent they will engage underneath the free or exposed edges of the adjacent flaps lOZL and 1liL and become locked therewith. "The box is Jnow in the condition illustrated, in Fig. 7 in which the fiaps at the top or unclosed end of the box are shown open and the box ready to receive the goods to be packed and shipped. Before all the goods have been introduced into the box :the flaps lilaandlla areffolded inwardly and downwardly against the inner faces of their side walls and after `the box has been filled to capacity the other flaps 9a are folded over. The box is now in the condition illustrated in Fig. 8, ready to receive a locking closure such as shown in Fig. 9 and applied and loclred in the same manner as the one already described. It will be understood of course that it is not necessary that 'the blank should be made just as shown in 6 but that one of the side walls instead of being made of two halves 11 could be made entire just like the wall 10. It will also be understood that a liner similar to the liner 8 could be employed in this form of box if desired.

ln Fig. l0 .l have shown another modification comprising two telescoped parts, one of which may be considered the body ofthe box top 20, side walls 21 hinged thereto and having flaps 22 hingedthereto and turned inwardly against the inner faces of their side walls 1. When the two parts or sections of the box are telescoped to full extent the edges of theV aps 19 and 22 engage each other s0 that the box becomes lockedand sealed. It will be understood that while I prefer to-similarly construct both openable ends of the box which are here more properly the top and bottom, that is to provide them with the locking and sealing means dcscribed, yet it is tobe understood that one of such enrls may be otherwise formed and permnently locked or sealed in the same manner leaving the other end to be constructed and locked and sealed in the .manner described.

By the use of my invention I provide a box ,which becomes sealed by the act of closing the same, with the obvious result that such locking of the bo x yis `accomplished as an incident and without any skill on the part of the user. As a further result of the use of my box, the same cannot be tampered with or pilfered from inasmuch as any such attempt would be disclosed by the condition of the box which would require substantial defacing or destruction of the box before entrance could be obtained. It is intended. that these boxes shall be for a single use only and the opening and consequenty destruction of the box is accomplished by the consignee himself.

I claim: A. box body comprising four side walls fhinged together and means for closing an end thereof consistin g of flaps hinged to two oppof sito side walls and together forming an end closure, short Haps hinged to the other two opposite side walls and inturned into the box body to lie parallel with the sides `to which they are hinged, a locking closure having a Central portion overlying said first-men tionedlaps and having end iiaps also insertible into the box body and formed with recurved ends arranged to abut against and engage said inturned flaps, and a liner withe in the box between which liner and the side Walls are located the inturned flaps and the end flaps of the locking closure.

f EARL C. PGT'IER. f

Witnesses:

S. E. HIBBEN, ROBERT DOBBERMAN. 

